Sterling Sound remastering US Beatles albums

Just what the name says.
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Beatlesfan03
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Postby Beatlesfan03 » Thu Nov 18, 2004 6:50 pm

Xenu wrote:I think saying that they "dig it" is a little much. If they're doing a project, they'll use it. Other than that, they probably don't think about it much. The Lennon stuff could easily be Pete Cobbin's decision.

Besides, hasn't it always been that the UK engineers generally like no-noise, while US engineers generally don't?


In the end, it's Yoko telling Pete Cobbin what to do though when it comes to Lennon tapes. While I'll admit that I've enjoyed some of the Lennon remixes, I find it rather odd that Yoko didn't remix Double Fantasy or Milk And Honey and just chose straight remastering of those, albeit by the original mastering engineer.

I think you're right about the UK embracing NR technology moreso than here. Although from what I hear, Bob Nordberg (sp?) uses enough to probably match the UK in terms of the amounts of noise reduction he uses.
Can't say that I have any of his discs although I remember Yesman posting some samples over at SH.TV once and they were pretty awful.
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Postby Xenu » Thu Nov 18, 2004 9:43 pm

I think that to get the true nostalgia experience, Ted Jensen should've faked pre-echo on these CDs.
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Postby lukpac » Thu Nov 18, 2004 11:09 pm

Ahh, but he was replicating the *good* pressings, which didn't have pre-echo!

As for NR, yeah, it seems to be more of a UK thing these days for some reason. Mew and Astley being the prime suspects. Of course, it *used* to be pretty popular in the US too (Furmanek, Gastwirt).

And I still love that UK AHDN LP.
"I know because it is impossible for a tape to hold the compression levels of these treble boosted MFSL's like Something/Anything. The metal particulate on the tape would shatter and all you'd hear is distortion if even that." - VD
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Postby Beatlesfan03 » Thu Nov 18, 2004 11:31 pm

lukpac wrote:As for NR, yeah, it seems to be more of a UK thing these days for some reason. Mew and Astley being the prime suspects. Of course, it *used* to be pretty popular in the US too (Furmanek, Gastwirt).


I forgot about Gastwirt and I even have a couple of the Reprise CDs which proudly boast no noise which he mastered. I didn't know that Furmanek actually did remastering, I thought he was more or less a reissue producer.

lukpac wrote:And I still love that UK AHDN LP.


Indeed. Although I'm sure Michael would disagree. :roll:
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Postby lukpac » Thu Nov 18, 2004 11:43 pm

Let's try and disprove the "the Capitol tapes were compressed even more" notion, shall we?

Matchbox. Top is the new box, bottom is Past Masters. Click on the pic for a larger version:
Image

And here they are level matched (PM version brought up about 2 dB):
Image
"I know because it is impossible for a tape to hold the compression levels of these treble boosted MFSL's like Something/Anything. The metal particulate on the tape would shatter and all you'd hear is distortion if even that." - VD
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Postby mikenycLI » Fri Nov 19, 2004 5:29 am

The mystery is solved....Here's what Ted Jensen posted on SH...

Ted Jensen wrote:I've been reading all these posts with a great deal of interest and this one pretty well hits the nail on the head, though they were actually only 25th generation tapes. Although it was nice to get out of the mosh pit for awhile, it was one of the most difficult projects I've had in a long time. I wound up mastering the whole set four times before getting something both Andy Slater and I were happy with. The first mistake was trying to "stay true to the original recordings" and transfer them as accurately as possible. We put the cd's on the next day and they sort of just lay there, sounding "pretty good". Subsequent attempts didn't get much better and we decided taking a purists' approach was probably incompatible with something that had been stepped on so hard to begin with. Accuracy is also difficult when there are no line up tones and you have a 50-50 chance of IEC or NAB playback curves. One sounds thin, the other dull. Andy said "just see if you can get it to be fun to listen to, so fans will just want to play them again." The best approach was just to get them to rock, feel good and exciting without overcooking things. It's gratifying to see from a lot of these posts that people agree with what we got. And yes, no-noise was never even discussed. I grew up with hiss and generally, unless obliterating a particularly quiet section, find it to be benign - nature's dither. Now I'll just sit back and wait for the backlash that people say is inevitable on this list.



http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showt ... e=15&pp=20
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Postby lukpac » Sat Nov 20, 2004 10:14 pm

It's time for the A-B-C game folks. I expect - at the very least - Good'N'Plenty, Ryan, and Mr. Hunte to participate.

No Reply A
No Reply B
No Reply C

Sources to be revealed...
"I know because it is impossible for a tape to hold the compression levels of these treble boosted MFSL's like Something/Anything. The metal particulate on the tape would shatter and all you'd hear is distortion if even that." - VD
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Postby Xenu » Sat Nov 20, 2004 11:22 pm

C sounds a bit trebly/copy-tape-y, so I think that's from the Capitol source.


I honestly can't tell the difference between A and B.
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Postby Mike Hunte » Sun Nov 21, 2004 6:10 am

Personally, I think the mastering on the new Capitol box is wayyy overrated - in relation to what I'm hearing around the 'net. Too glarey for my tastes. I got "ear burn" real fast - goosing the treble up on somewhat distorted tapes is not a good idea, IMHO. As a result, the tracks sound bright & midrange-hollow...lacking warmth.

"C" = Capitol box. Personally, just listening through 'puter speakers, I'll take the other two any day.

But that's just me. What do I know. I'm a crazed liberal.
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Postby Xenu » Sun Nov 21, 2004 11:57 pm

I grow impatient!
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Postby lukpac » Sun Nov 21, 2004 11:59 pm

Then tell Ryan to get with it.
"I know because it is impossible for a tape to hold the compression levels of these treble boosted MFSL's like Something/Anything. The metal particulate on the tape would shatter and all you'd hear is distortion if even that." - VD
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Postby Beatlesfan03 » Mon Nov 22, 2004 1:08 am

I say "C" is the Capitol as well.
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Postby RDK » Mon Nov 22, 2004 2:19 am

Gobs of reverb on "C." Actually not bad, though. First time I've heard anything from the Capitol box.
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Postby Rspaight » Mon Nov 22, 2004 9:54 am

I can't tell much of a difference between A and B, either. They sound dull to me. Not enough high end. (Perhaps my ears have been damaged by a lifetime of compression.)

I like the added clarity on C, but I agree that the top is goosed *too* much in comparison with the other two, and the bottom end suffers as well. (Though I think C isn't lacking in bottom so much as the jacked highs overwhelm everything else.) A happy medium between A/B and C would be ideal for me.

I'm going to go along with the cool kids and assume C is the new box.

Disclaimer: this is all through my crappy computer speakers at work.

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Postby lukpac » Mon Nov 22, 2004 10:13 am

You are damaged.

Drumroll...

B - BFS LP from Holland
C - Capitol box
...
...
...
A - EQ job of the Capitol box to try and match B

On my cheap speakers at home, C sounds good, and A and B sound a bit muddy, but under headphones and in the car, C just sounds way too EQ'd. The thing I noticed in the car about the box (Beatles '65 anyway) is it felt like my ears were plugged up, due to the lack of mids in comparison to the highs and lows.

I don't hear any more reverb on C than what's on the LP. And I certainly didn't remove any when I EQ'd it.

So there you have it.

Maybe I'll do another one with an AHDN track. And I'll post what EQ I used when I get home.
"I know because it is impossible for a tape to hold the compression levels of these treble boosted MFSL's like Something/Anything. The metal particulate on the tape would shatter and all you'd hear is distortion if even that." - VD
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